Representatives of Crosland Southeast, a retail and mixed-use development firm from North Carolina ready to transform the Oak Ridge Mall property into a city center, spoke to city and area leaders and interested residents about its plans Wednesday night at the Oak Ridge Public Library.

by Beverly Majors

Representatives of Crosland Southeast, a retail and mixed-use development firm from North Carolina ready to transform the Oak Ridge Mall property into a city center, spoke to city and area leaders and interested residents about its plans Wednesday night at the Oak Ridge Public Library.

Crosland partners Tim Sittema and James Downs presented a short PowerPoint presentation of projects the company had developed in other Southeastern cities, including the Biltmore Park Town Square in Asheville, N.C., and the Providence Marketplace in Mt. Juliet.

Sittema said the vision for the Oak Ridge development, currently dubbed Freedom Park Oak Ridge, is to turn it into a multi-use destination that should attract shoppers and young people to the center of town.

"We want to build a place for people to go in and out," Sittema said. "The longer they stay, the more they shop."

Sittema said the project "can't be done" without a public/private partnership.

The Charlotte-based firm has been talking to city officials for several months and will meet with the city's Industrial Development Board in coming weeks to consider a tax increment financing (TIF) plan to help with the site development.

Sittema said the developer would assume all the financial risk. The TIF would be similar to the most recent TIF plan used for the Woodland Town Center, where Panera Bread and Aubrey's restaurant are located, and where Aldi's grocery store is currently being constructed.

"We did a lot of listening on the front end," Sittema said about earlier meetings in Oak Ridge. "It was vital, essential for us to understand the history and vision for the community."

Sittema also said the firm is "aware of the history and the baggage" associated with the property.

He said one of the challenges is what he described as a "landlock."

"The best retail street in town is South Illinois Avenue," he said. He said new businesses and retail want to be along that route, but company officials hope to change that with the mall property.

Sittema said the plan is to demolish the entire mall property and change it into a city center that would include restaurants and coffee houses, as well as retail shops, office space, and residential and public areas.

"We want to play up Rutgers Avenue as the front door," he said.

Downs said the mixed-use city center vision calls for both vertical and horizontal buildings.

"We want an active, live and play environment," Downs said.

The two representatives also answered questions from the audience that pertained to deed issues, the firm's commitment to retail development, the firm's track record in developing properties, and the effect the development could have on established businesses.

Sittema said "deed restrictions do exist" on the property, stating as an example, the property could not have a grocery store. He said the firm has talked to many in the "retail world" and are "very encouraged."

However, he also said the retail market is "still reeling" from the economic crisis and retailers are "choosing more carefully."

He said several retailers have toured Oak Ridge while others are still waiting in the wings for possible tours. Retailers, he said, who used to open 100 stores are now opening only about 15.

Downs said the firm is "one-for-one" in mall developments, stating the 83-acre, mixed-use Stonebridge development in Richmond, Va., is the most comparable to Oak Ridge and is about 80 percent leased.

Sittema said one of the keys to capturing the local market is to look at a broader trade area. He also said the firm representatives had not yet talked to local business owners, but that is a part of the overall plan.

"We're still trying to keep the anchors on board," he said, referring to J.C. Penney and Belk department stores and Tinseltown movie theater.

As far as a timeline, Sittema said the city center could open in late 2015 or early 2016.